I had never heard about the Abbott districts or the Abbott v. Burke cases, but I was glad to read about these rulings. The New Jersey Supreme Court’s rulings in favor of students’ rights to receive quality education is very positve and it representas a big step towards equality in our society. Schools are where everything starts and kids and teenagers need to have a good education to succeed when they graduate from high school.
It must have been a real challenge for these students, their parents and guardians to confront the New Jersey’s Education Commissioner. But how often does this happen? How often do students and their parents speak up and demand more? I wish more parents did this because most of them just see their kids go through their school years and do not realize the huge impact that schools have on their children’s future. Unfortunately poor districts are forgotten and their students have to deal with the consequences, so the only way that changes occur is when people get together and decide to fight for their rights.
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND
The more that I learn about the NCLB Act, the more frustrated I feel with our education system, and the more upset I get at our government! What were they thinking? How could they do that? How could they pass a bill without thinking about the consequences, and without giving enough funds to school districts?
I don’t know, I feel sad everythime I think about it, and it is discouraging for future teachers. Even though I have the desire to teach, I keep thinking “What am I getting into?” It is going to be a hard road; teachers now have a huge responsibility, but they have limited funding, resources, and support.
Another thing that worries me is that I do not like or agree with many aspects of the NCLB, but as a teacher, I am going to have to follow those politcies anyway if I don’t want to be fired. For example, I do not agree with measuring the quality of schools’ performance based only on students’ testing because there are so many factors that affect those scores, and schools with higher scores are not necessarily the best ones.
The worst part about the Act is that it punishes schools that do not meet its standards. So what happens with these schools? I think the government is supposed to take over, but how are they going to fix things? It seems like the situation in these schools would just get worse. What our government needs to do is fund the NCLB so that schools can invest more in training teachers, buying technology, developing programs for students and teachers, etc. Moreover, I think the NCLB needs to be revised and redone, hopefully by educators and school administrators; this is such an important legislation because we are educating American citizens, so it has to be wellthought and carefully developed.
I don’t know, I feel sad everythime I think about it, and it is discouraging for future teachers. Even though I have the desire to teach, I keep thinking “What am I getting into?” It is going to be a hard road; teachers now have a huge responsibility, but they have limited funding, resources, and support.
Another thing that worries me is that I do not like or agree with many aspects of the NCLB, but as a teacher, I am going to have to follow those politcies anyway if I don’t want to be fired. For example, I do not agree with measuring the quality of schools’ performance based only on students’ testing because there are so many factors that affect those scores, and schools with higher scores are not necessarily the best ones.
The worst part about the Act is that it punishes schools that do not meet its standards. So what happens with these schools? I think the government is supposed to take over, but how are they going to fix things? It seems like the situation in these schools would just get worse. What our government needs to do is fund the NCLB so that schools can invest more in training teachers, buying technology, developing programs for students and teachers, etc. Moreover, I think the NCLB needs to be revised and redone, hopefully by educators and school administrators; this is such an important legislation because we are educating American citizens, so it has to be wellthought and carefully developed.
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Newark Arts High School
Well I have not blogged in a long time because I have a crazy life, but since last Thursday I have been wanting to say: I am so excited about doing my observations at Arts High School! It is such a good school, and I know it is a priviledge to be able to do our initial field experience there.
Prof. Goldstein said there are not enough teachers at AHS for all of us, and we will have to split between 2 schools. I really hope I get to go to the school I visited though because it was so nice! The building is really nice, and everything looks in good shape, organized and clean. And the most important thing is that the kids are great! I met two young girls who gave us a tour around their school, and they were really friendly, respectful, and helpful. I got to walk around the school and observe different classes in progress. Most of the teachers were friendly and invited us to come into their classrooms, observe what students were doing, and even ask questions. I was so happy to see that students are well behaved, and that they are corteous and respectful.
In regards to my inquiry project, I like the question me and my group are working on. We are going to observe foreign language courses. We want to find out what are students' reactions to learning a foreign language. Are they motivated about learning another language? And how do teachers engage students in class?
I even had the opportunity to see a Spanish class in progress, and the teacher (I think her nane is Ms. Perez) was so nice, and she answered a question for me. I asked her if her students are motivated to learn Spanish, and she said that at the beginning they were not, but she told them how practical it is, and they are now practicing Spanish outside the classroom, especially those students who have a job. That was something I had not though about. Maybe a majority of students learning Spanish have a job, and because Newark has a big Hispanic population, what a great reason for students to be interested in learning Spanish! I know that French is also taught at AHS, and I would love to observe that class as well.
I really enjoyed the AHS tour because in less than an hour I got a better picture of what the classes are like, and what the students are like. I feel less anxious now, and I am looking forward to doing my observations.
I felt so happy talking to those kids, and walking around the school. Although I am shy, and I thought I was going to feel intimidated by some students (especially because they are so tall next to me!) I felt comfortable around them, and interested in finding our more about them. It was an amazing experience!
Prof. Goldstein said there are not enough teachers at AHS for all of us, and we will have to split between 2 schools. I really hope I get to go to the school I visited though because it was so nice! The building is really nice, and everything looks in good shape, organized and clean. And the most important thing is that the kids are great! I met two young girls who gave us a tour around their school, and they were really friendly, respectful, and helpful. I got to walk around the school and observe different classes in progress. Most of the teachers were friendly and invited us to come into their classrooms, observe what students were doing, and even ask questions. I was so happy to see that students are well behaved, and that they are corteous and respectful.
In regards to my inquiry project, I like the question me and my group are working on. We are going to observe foreign language courses. We want to find out what are students' reactions to learning a foreign language. Are they motivated about learning another language? And how do teachers engage students in class?
I even had the opportunity to see a Spanish class in progress, and the teacher (I think her nane is Ms. Perez) was so nice, and she answered a question for me. I asked her if her students are motivated to learn Spanish, and she said that at the beginning they were not, but she told them how practical it is, and they are now practicing Spanish outside the classroom, especially those students who have a job. That was something I had not though about. Maybe a majority of students learning Spanish have a job, and because Newark has a big Hispanic population, what a great reason for students to be interested in learning Spanish! I know that French is also taught at AHS, and I would love to observe that class as well.
I really enjoyed the AHS tour because in less than an hour I got a better picture of what the classes are like, and what the students are like. I feel less anxious now, and I am looking forward to doing my observations.
I felt so happy talking to those kids, and walking around the school. Although I am shy, and I thought I was going to feel intimidated by some students (especially because they are so tall next to me!) I felt comfortable around them, and interested in finding our more about them. It was an amazing experience!
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